Raising a child
by Caitlin Swift
Summary: What if the Torchwood team found a baby in the hub and decided to raise her.
1. Chapter 1

"How the hell did that get here?"

Owen looked at a basket on the floor in the middle of the hub. The basket contained:

A baby.

Gwen and Tosh walked over to him.

Tosh and Gwen gasped.

"It's a baby!" Gwen said suddenly cheerful. She picked up the child and held it in her arms.

"Is it a girl or a boy?" Owen asked looking at it quizzically.

"It's a girl, Owen." Tosh said.

"How do you know?" Owen looked at her.

Gwen quickly turned around and checked.

"It's a girl." she then confirmed.

Jack had heard the commotion from his office and was coming down the stairs.

"Why are you guys going on about?" He asked as he got to the bottom of the staircase.

"Well…" Owen moved out the way to relieve their find to Jack.

"That's a baby." Jack stated. "What is a baby doing here?"

"Well we thought you'd know, because we found her here in this basket when we got here.

"Her?" Jack's eyes widened. "It's a girl?"

"Yes it's a girl, Jack." Gwen said, looking down at the baby.

The baby had deep blue eyes and sandy blonde hair—quite a lot of hair for a baby of her age.

"Do we know how old she is? She looks about 1 or so." Jack asked and answers his own question.

"Yeah I think she is." Owen agreed. "What do we do with it?"

"Well…I really don't know." Jack raised his eyebrow.

"Well…we could—" Owen started.

"—we could raise her." Gwen and Tosh said together, with smiles on their faces.

Jack and Owen exchanged looks.

"Well?" Gwen asked.

"Well…maybe…" Jack answered.

"Yes/No?" Tosh asked.

"This is a child not a stray dog or goldfish." Owen said.

"We can look after her. There's a spare room in the back. Come on Jack." Gwen pleaded.

"Okay. But I'm not picking up after it, okay?" Jack said.

"Neither am I." Owen said quickly.

"Yippy!" Gwen and Tosh cheered.

They started making their way to the spare room.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wait, you're leaving the baby with me?"

The team were done with the 'nursery' as Gwen called it.

Ianto had gone out and bought a crib, while Gwen and Tosh painted the room, Jack and Owen had put the crib together—which seemed harder than the instructions implied.

The room looked really cosy now. The walls were painted a light pink and the crib…well it stood up strait and looked stable.

"Jack, if I take Lucy home then Rhys will ask questions."

"But you wanted to keep it!" Jack pleaded again. "Why doesn't Tosh take it home? Or Owen—he's a doctor?"

"I'm not taking that thing home!" Owen said throwing his arms in the air.

"Her name is Lucy, Owen." Tosh said. "And if I take the baby it's not going to end well."

"Well it would probably end better than it would if she stayed here tonight." Jack tried to get out of it again.

"Well I'm definitely not taking her." Owen said and walked out the room.

"Well?"

"She's staying here, Jack." Gwen said finally.

"Ianto, can't you help?" Jack looked at Ianto, who was standing in the doorway.

"I'd love to Jack, but I've got plans." Ianto said quickly, not savouring the idea of spending the night with a crying baby and quickly walked out the door.

"So…I guess I'm stuck, right?" Jack looked at Gwen, then at the baby. He had to admit the kid was cute.

_Ahhh it can't be that hard, could it?_ He thought.

"But when do I feed it—what do I feed it?!" Jack asked, starting to panic again.

"Can you stop referring to her as 'it', please?" Gwen asked.

"Okay, when do I feed _her_?"

"When she's hungry." Tosh answered.

"That doesn't help. How do I tell when she's hungry?"

"She'll probably start to cry." Gwen answered.

To be honest neither Gwen nor Tosh knew anything about child raising.

"So how do I stop her from crying?" Jack asked.

"You feed her, give her her dummy, you play with her or you put her to sleep." Gwen said.

"How do I put her to sleep?"

"Well…I actually don't know." Gwen admitted.

"So you want to raise a kid and you don't know how to put it to sleep?" Jack's eyes widened.

"Jack, you don't either!" Gwen snapped back. "Here" Gwen put the sleeping Lucy into Jack's arms. "Don't drop her." Gwen said then let go.

Jack stood there holding Lucy, he didn't move, he was afraid he might drop her.

"Jack, you can move you know." Tosh said.

"What if I drop her?" Jack said, holding her tighter.

"Don't squish her!" Gwen warned as she saw Jack's grip tighten.

"What happens if I drop her?" Jack held Lucy up to his chest, tightly.

"Don't worry you won't drop her." Gwen reassured him.

"Okay, I've got to go now." Tosh said and walked to the door.

"Me too." Gwen said and followed Tosh out the door.

Jack was left alone in the room with Lucy.

"You're quiet cute actually." Jack said to her as he looked down at her.

He walked over to the crib, put her in it and put the blanket over her.

"Well…good night." Jack said, turned off the light and walked out the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack had just got to his office. There was no one in the hub, everyone had gone home.

Then he heard a cry of a baby.

"Come on! You were just asleep!" he shouted, then started speed walking towards the 'nursery'.

When he got down to the room the cries were louder and more irritating.

"Okay, what do you want?!" he shouted over Lucy's cries.

He picked her up and looked at her. She just started crying louder.

"Okay, first step: are you hungry?" he asked, he took out a bottle of milk and waved it in front of her.

She started gripping the air in front of the bottle.

"Okay, I take that as a yes." Jack gave her the bottle.

She took a couple of sips from the bottle, then threw it to the floor and started crying again.

"Jeez!" Jack said as he picked up the bottle. "What do you want now?"

His question was met with cries.

"O…kay" Jack looked around the room. "What to do? What to do?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: this chapter's pretty short, sorry. :P<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Gwen, Tosh, Owen and Ianto walked into the hub.

Owen saw to his amazement Jack and Lucy sleeping on the couch.

"Hey guys come look here." He said waving his hand to signal them over.

Jack was sitting up, slightly tilted right. His head back and in his arms, curled up, was Lucy. Both of them fast asleep.

"Should we wake him up?" Owen asked.

"No, let him sleep." Gwen said. "Aww, but they're so cute."

"Yeah, extremely cute." Owen rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to make coffee." Ianto said and everyone turned and went to their stations.

* * *

><p>Jack's eyes opened slightly.<p>

"Congratulations Jack, you're now a father by law." Tosh said

"What?!" Jack said, nearly throwing Lucy off his arm.

"Well…we thought since Lucy is ganna live here and you live here…we knighted you her father. Here's the paper work." Gwen said and handed him a piece of paper.

"So I'm her father and you didn't even ask my permission?!" Jack said scanning the page.

"If you really don't want her I'll take her." Gwen said.

"No!" Jack said and held Lucy protectively against his chest.

"So then it's okay?" Tosh asked.

"…yes…" Jack answered.

Owen got off his chair and strolled towards them.

"I need to give her a check-up." He stated.

"Okay, here." Jack gave Owen Lucy. "Don't hurt her." He warned.

_Gee, one day and he's already attached_, Owen thought.

"I won't hurt her…daddy." Owen smirked as Jack's expression changed from protective to shock at being called 'daddy'.

Owen took Lucy to the autopsy table.

By now Lucy had woken up and was unsure of where she was going.

Owen put her down on the table. He was going to give her a blood test.

Lucy winced but didn't cry when Owen took his blood sample.

Jack watched from the top half of the autopsy room, leaning against the railing.

* * *

><p>"Well our little Lucy here is 11 months old. She was born on the 3rd of November last year, which means it will be her birthday next month. She seems to be healthy." Owen informed the rest at dinner that night, after he had gotten the results.<p>

Jake was sitting with Lucy on his lap. He had not let her go since the check-up. He was worried she would get hurt in the main part of the hub and lonely in her room, so he had taken her to his office and had spent the day with her on his lap. He had refused to let anyone hold her at dinner time.

Lucy was busy playing with her little plate of mushed up Chinese food.

* * *

><p>"Bye."<p>

Everyone was getting ready to go home.

"Bye, Owen." Tosh said as Owen went through the cog-door.

"Bye" Tosh and Ianto said as they followed Owen out the door.

"Okay, Jack are you going to be okay tonight?" Gwen asked as she picked up her bag and started walking towards the door.

"Yes, we'll be fine. I know all her tricks now. Doesn't like to go to bed early, she prefers the 3rd Harry Potter movie to the 2nd and Sleeping Beauty to Rapunzel, warm milk to cold and she doesn't like peanuts." Jack said.

"Peanuts?" Gwen asked as she walked out the door.

Jack walked down to his living space with Lucy in his arms and they sat at the end of his bed. They were about to watch the 3rd Harry Potter movie for the 5th time!


	5. Chapter 5

"Jeez, again?!" Owen asked as he walked past the crib, which had been moved up to the main area of the hub.

"It's your turn this time Owen." Gwen said from her station.

"Why?" Owen whined.

"Because I did it first, Tosh did it second, Ianto did it and well…Jack tried to do it." Gwen said.

"But I don't want to do it." Owen whined again as he looked over the railing of the crib.

"Change the bloody diaper, Owen!" Gwen snapped.

* * *

><p>"Okay, at least you're a girl so I don't have to be too worried." Owen said putting Lucy on the autopsy table. He never thought he'd have to change a diaper on this table.<p>

Lucy smiled and gurgled.

"Okay…let's see." Owen started taking off her diaper. "Oh God!" Owen cried when the diaper was off. "Holly crap! What the hell?!"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't use that language around Lucy." Jack was leaning on the railing of the top half on the autopsy room.

"Yeah…well…good luck with that. Oh God!"

Owen tried to change the diaper as quick as he could. When he was finished he picked her up and inspected his work.

"Well, not bad." Jack said as he took Lucy from Owen.

Lucy gurgled like babies usually do.

Jack smiled like a proud father would.

"Craaaaaa…p" Lucy said.

"Oh Shit!" Jack said, his smile faded away into a shocked face. "No Lucy, that's a bad word." He said looking at her, she was on his hip looking up at him with a smile.

"Shhhhh…it" She said, with a smile.

"Oh God! Her first words are swear words." Jack put the palm of his hand on his forehead.

"Don't worry. We'll just say her first word was mama or something rather than crap and shit, okay?" Owen said looking at Jack.

"Maaaammma" Lucy said.

"There!" Owen said. "All better now!"

Jack rolled his eyes.

_Great, my 'daughter's' first word was crap_, Jack thought as he started ascending the stairs to the top half of the autopsy room.


	6. Chapter 6

"Crap! Crap!"

"No Lucy those are bad words." Jack said sternly.

Lucy was sitting on Jack's desk. Jack was trying to get Lucy to stop swearing.

"This is all your fault, Owen!" Jack turned around on his chair and looked at Owen.

"Hey, you said _shit_ in front of her." Owen defended himself.

"Well, what do we do?" Jack said looking at Lucy.

"Craaaaap. *gurgle* Shiiiiiit." Lucy added.

"Shhhh, you don't say those words." Jack said very sternly.

Lucy's started to tear up.

"No, no, no, don't worry, it's okay." Jack said pulling Lucy closer.

Lucy stated to cry.

"That_ you_ did." Owen said.

"Shhhh shhhh shhhh" Jack pulled Lucy to his chest and rubbed her hair.

Lucy started to stop crying.

* * *

><p>"Who wants pizza?" Ianto said as he walked into the hub carrying a couple of pizza boxes.<p>

"ME!" Owen said getting up and running over to Ianto and taking a box. "I'm starving."

They all walked to the briefing/dining room.

Jack walked in after them with Lucy on his hip.

"So Lucy want some pizza?" He asked her as he sat down and put her on the chair next to him.

"Crap"

Tosh and Gwen looked at Jack with shock.

He put a slice of pizza on a plate and put it in front of Lucy. He started cutting the slice into little pieces.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well…we could retcon her." Owen said.

Jack had dragged him back into his office after dinner and wasn't going to let him go until Lucy stopped swearing.

"We are not going to retcon Lucy!" Jack said protectively.

"Just an idea." Owen said throwing his hands in the air and walked over to the door.

In a blink of an eye, Jack pulled him back from the door.

"You're not going anywhere." Jack said. Jack let go of Owen and walked to his desk.

"It's late Jack. Just leave it. She'll grow out of it." Owen said, yawning.

"Grow out of it!" Jack started pulling his hair. "When will she grow out of it?! 1, 2, 3—10—years?!"

"Jack you're over exaggerating."

"No I am not!"

"O yes you are."

"Am not!"

"Am too."

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"Am no—what are we doing?!"

"No clue." Owen quickly slipped out the door and ran down the stairs.

Jack stood there only then realizing that Owen had left the room.

By the time Jack was out of his office the cog door had closed, with Owen on the other side.

* * *

><p>"Goodnight Lucy" Jack lay her down in her crib.<p>

Jack started walking towards the door.

"Nnnnight dada." Lucy said from her crib.

Jack did a sort of victory dance. She didn't swear! He thought to himself.

"Crap!" Lucy said as if she had read Jack's mind.

Jack stopped dead in his dance

"Crap" Jack sighed heavily.


	8. Chapter 8

"Come on, Lucy, eat the waffles."

Lucy, now age 5, was sitting at the table in the Torchwood hub's kitchen. Jack was trying to get her to eat the waffles he had made for breakfast. Saturday mornings were dubbed waffle mornings.

"No" Lucy replied, unamused.

"Come on, I know you want it." Jack said and waved the plate in front of her nose.

"No"

"Come on, eat the bloody waffles!" Jack said giving up.

"No" Lucy said, a slight grin on her face.

"Hey!" Jack said, noticing her grin.

Lucy quickly jumped off her chair and bolted for the door, but Jack caught her and put his arms around her from the back. He picked her up and walked back to the table as she squirmed in his arms.

"Ha!" Jack said triumphantly as he put her back on her chair.

"Ha!" Lucy said back, a huge grin on her face.

Jack sat down at the other end of the table and got a plate. Lucy started eating and then Jack followed.

"So, are you going to give me this kind of trouble every morning?" Jack asked, pointing his fork at her.

"Yep" She said, pointing her fork back at him.

They both smiled and then went back to eating.

* * *

><p>"Jack, me and Tosh are going to take Lucy clothes shopping?"<p>

Gwen shouted up to Jack's office. She, Tosh and Lucy were ready to leave. Jack popped out his office.

"So, why can't I take her clothes shopping?" Jack asked walking down the stairs.

"Well…you…just can't, Jack." Gwen admitted. When Jack took Lucy shopping he would buy her only the cheapest and dull things.

"And why not?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"You…you cheap out, Jack."

"I do not!"

"You do." Tosh said and hustled Lucy out the cog door and Gwen followed, leaving Jack with his mouth open.

* * *

><p>"I want that one—no, that one!"<p>

Lucy was practically dragging Gwen and Tosh into each store she wanted to go to. So far they had only gotten her a t-shirt. Lucy was very picky about what she wanted and always new when she was been misled. She was quite intelligent for her age.

"No wonder Jack always buys her the cheap, dull stuff—she's impossible to shop for!" Gwen said as her and Tosh sat down on a bench in the mall, both out of breathe. Lucy just carried on walking through the mall, knowing Tosh and Gwen were sitting down and wasn't going to go too far away.

"Lucy!" Gwen called.

Lucy saw a glimpse of Gwen and Tosh then she fell to the floor, a huge crowd going past her in all directions. She heard her name being called but couldn't see where it was coming from.

She was terrified that she would never get back up…and never see Jack again. She curled up into a little ball and started crying.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and felt herself being pulled up. Then she felt arms wrap around her.

"Don't go wondering off again, okay?" Gwen said.

Lucy nodded.

* * *

><p>Jack saw Lucy come running into his office. Tear stains and a look on her face that he never wanted to see ever again on her face.<p>

"Jack!" she flung herself at him. She put her arms around his neck and Jack put his arms around her tiny, fragile body. "Jack, it was so scary." She sobbed into his chest and Jack pulled her closer. "I don't want to go shopping ever again!"

"Don't worry, I'm here now. Don't worry." Jack comforted, while rubbing her sandy blonde hair.

Lucy continued to cry.

"I'm here, don't worry."


End file.
